Runner Survives Cougar Confrontation

A 34-year-old Canadian runner is lucky to have survived an encounter with a cougar. Photo: Infobarrel.com

A 34-year-old Canadian runner is lucky to have survived an encounter with a cougar. Photo: Infobarrel.com

It came out of the bushes and began hissing at her.

A Canadian runner is alive thanks to some quick thinking and good timing. The morning of August 1, Alan McCarthy decided to have an extra cup of coffee with a group of friends. His unplanned delay put him on the road, driving home, at the exact time that 34-year-old Kiara Bisaro was literally fighting for her life.

Bisaro was visiting family in Port Albion and had been out for a run when a cougar appeared out of the bushes.

“She was almost to the dry land sort when she heard something come out of the bush and up behind her,” said Bisaro’s mother, Susanne. “She thought it might be a bear crossing the road and she turned around and there was an animal heading straight towards her.”

The cougar began hissing while Bisaro tried to hold it back with her foot. This worked for about 10 minutes. When McCarthy’s vehicle approached, the cougar ran off.

“I saw her arms moving and I thought she was playing with a dog, but as I got closer it turned and looked over, and I realized it was a cougar,” McCarthy recalled.

Duncan Larkin

Duncan Larkin is a freelance journalist and author who’s been covering the sport of running for over a decade. He’s run 2:32 in the marathon and won the Himalayan 100-Mile Stage Race in 2007. He wrote the book RUN SIMPLE, and coaches runners of all abilities.
You can learn more about him here: http://roadsmillslaps.tumblr.com/about